Lil Kim's Use Of Misogyny In Gangster Rap Music

1286 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Rap lyrics fostering sexual objectification and degradation of women

Not to overlook the disgusting display of misogyny in gangster rap music, saying that rap music in general shaped the belief that it is okay to be violent towards women, ignores the contributions of females in rap. Early female rappers like Salt ‘n’ Pepa, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Roxanne Shante, and Monie Love only uplifted women and gone against the notions that women were just sexual objects. However they were not rappers of the gangster rap genre. Enter Kimberly Jones aka Lil’ Kim, the most notable female gangster rapper in history. She was as vulgar and blunt as they come but it was this vulgarity that ushered in a sense of female empowerment in gangster rap. Lil’ Kim was against women being used for sex but instead using sex for power. …show more content…

But it was this mainstream exposure that many people blamed as being the beginning of “watered-down” gangster rap and rap in general. Many aspiring rappers saw that detailing the harsh realities of living in the inner-city, violence, drugs, and the disrespect of women was what was selling. This sparked the authenticity of hip-hop to be questioned. Was a rapper actually talking about his own experience or was he lying? Or more applicable in today’s society, was an artist working with rap artists or using rap influences to sell records? This is an example of how African-American culture can be appropriated and unappreciated for monetary gain. The most sad effect of the commercialization of gangster rap is the common use of the n-word. Because it is heard in rap music, it now seems like it is okay for anyone who to use this word. What makes it worse is that many feel that it is justifiable because not only do African-Americans use the word themselves but their favorite rap song uses it after almost every …show more content…

Dr. Dre has become one of the most influential businessmen and record producers in the world and after getting a taste of acting and film writing, Ice Cube became a certified movie star. To the surprise of many, he even has a couple of family friendly movies under his belt, making it easy to forget that he was once the member of the single most notorious and influential rap group in gangster rap history. Even Ice-T deeped into acting and for almost twenty years, he has had a main role on one of the highest rated crime shows in the world, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Who would have thought the man who once rapped about violent acts towards others, would be playing a detective who fights against these crimes? This is the definition of

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Joan Morgan From Fly Girls To Bits And Hos

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the article “ From Fly to Bitches and Hoes” by Joan Morgan, she often speaks about the positive and negative ideas associated with hip-hop music. Black men display their manhood with full on violence, crime, hidden guilt, and secret escapes through drugs and alcohol. Joan Morgan’s article views the root causes of the advantage of misogyny in rap music lyrics. In the beginning of the incitement her desires shift to focus on from rap culture condemnation to a deeper analysis of the root causes. She shows the hidden causes of unpleasant sexism in rap music and argues that we need to look deeper into understanding misogyny. I agree with Joan Morgan with the stance that black men show their emotions in a different way that is seen a different perspective.

    Read More

  • Homophobia, Violence And Sexism In Tricia Rose's Hip Hop War

    1998 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hip hop is a form of art that African Americans have been using to get away from oppressions in their lives and allowed their voices to be heard in some type of way. As soon as big corporations seen the attention hip hop brought to the scene, they wanted to capitalize on it. These corporations picked specific types of attributes that some hip hop artists had and allowed it to flourish. The attributes that these artists carried were hypermasculinity, homophobia, violence and sexism. In the book, Hip Hop Wars by Tricia Rose discusses some of these specific attributes. One of the most damaging attribute is when hip hop is used to sexualize and demean everything about being a woman. Tricia Rose writes about this issue in chapter 5 of her book

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Objectification Of Women In Hip Hop Culture

    1128 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The widespread perception of Black women is based on mainstream misogyny” and because it is main, a social norm, and a way for young Black people to be unified “[Black females] accept stereotypical views and unconscious behaviors that devalue women and esteem men”(Henry, West, & Jackson 245). As long as hip hop continues to thrive on misogyny and people continue to ignore that it is an issue Black females will continue to reap the internal and sometimes physical

    Read More

  • Rap is Crap

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    “She ain’t nuttin but a hoochie mama…Smackin’ on your lips, put your hands on your hips…She ain’t nuttin but a hoochie mama…Oh I love those big brown eyes and the way you shake your thighs, acting like you’re so damn cute...” Rap music with lyrics like this play on the radio and in home stereos every day. Rap music pounds messages of sex and violence into the minds of young adults leaving behind their sexist and repetitive influential messages. Music has a very powerful influence on our emotions, moods, and behavior. Rap music influences teenagers negatively by increasing violent attitudes and promoting sexual aggression against women.

    Read More

  • Hip hop wars

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hip hop is a culture, it is a way many people use to connect to one another, it allowed many African Americans to express their own point of view in their story. But in the early 2000’s it became commercialized and went from storytelling from many perspectives like a party, politics, self-celebration, and gangstas to consisting of mainly of the lives of hustler, pimps, and hoes. Though it has become quite profitable and a successful form of music it cause arguments in American of whether it is more detrimental than beneficial to black community. Hip hop is in fact in a crisis and critics of hip hop believe it is just angry stories of black males and females but do not see it as proof that black behavior was created from the condition of living in a ghetto.

    Read More

  • Black Women in Rap

    6412 Words  | 13 Pages

    The rap world has many different dynamics, including economics, racism, sexism, and violence. How do these relate to black female rappers? What is the role of the feminist rapper within rap culture? What is the message of black female rappers and how is that conveyed within their music? Why are women exploited, i.e. verbally demeaned and abused within rap songs; being turned into objects of sexual violence and denigratio...

    Read More

  • Racial Stereotypes Associated With Rap and Hip Hop Music

    682 Words  | 2 Pages

    A race issue that occurs within the rap and hip-hop musical genre is the racial stereotypes associated with the musical form. According to Brandt, and Viki rap music and hip- hop music are known for fomenting crime violence, and the continuing formation of negative perceptions revolving around the African-American race (p.362). Many individuals believe that rap and hip-hop music and the culture that forms it is the particular reason for the degradation of the African-American community and the stereotypes that surround that specific ethnic group. An example is a two thousand and seven song produced by artist Nas entitled the N-word. The particular title of the song sparked major debates within not only the African-American community thus the Caucasian communities as well. Debates included topics such as the significance and worth of freedom of speech compared with the need to take a stand against messages that denigrate African-Americans. This specific label turned into an outrage and came to the point where conservative white individuals stood in front of the record label expressing their feelings. These individuals made a point that it is because artists like Nas that there is an increase in gang and street violence within communities. Rap and hip-hop music only depicts a simple-minded image of black men as sex crazed, criminals, or “gangsters”. As said above, community concerns have arisen over time over the use of the N-word, or the fact that many rappers vocalize about white superiority and privilege. Of course rap music did not develop these specific stereotypes, however these stereotypes are being used; and quite successfully in rap and hip-hop which spreads them and keeps the idea that people of color are lazy, all crimin...

    Read More

  • Hip Hop Misogyny Essay

    1751 Words  | 4 Pages

    Previously I hinted above about his sexism and misogynistic ways, but now I will go in depth. Hip hop misogyny has been reignited since the history of Dr. Dre’s abuse appeared again with the debut album Straight Outta Compton. The history behind misogyny has dated back decades and has gained even more pushback due to artist like Rick Ross, Drake and Kanye West. These rappers have created songs that dehumanized women from them stripping, making money, and slapping them while having intercourse. However, Kanye West gained a great amount of pushback due to his Yeezus album that greatly dehumanized, influenced sexisim and exhibited a great amount of anger towards women. The release of Straight outta Compton created a huge controversy behind sexism and abuse as it should. Dr. Dre’s beating of Dee Barnes then created a dialogue within the media due to the huge success of the movie. The creator of Straight Outta compton then made a statement after her bragging on how successful the movie was. Ava DuVernay states “I saw the cavalier way that women were treated in hip hop spaces early on. To be a woman who loves hip hop at times is to be in love with your abuser. Because the music was and is that. And yet the culture is ours. From depictions of the origins of ‘Bye Felicia’ to watching Cube bring his wife Kim to business meetings. That’s hip hop. A curious thing”. The statement was a post made on Twitter and The Daily Beast brought it to our attention. Dr. Dre contribution to this movie shows how misogyny within hip hop has become a thing even greater than NWA. The movies and his contribution fits perfectly within hip hop because it created dialogue. Not only dialogue but as I previously stated recent artist who has come in contact with West Coast members, Dr. Dre and got their flow from NWA all have misogynist characteristics in their music. Kendrick has created music on his recent album

    Read More

  • Hip Hop and the Recording Industry

    693 Words  | 2 Pages

    Negus, Keith. "The Business of Rap: Between the Street and the Executive Suite." Rpt. in That’s the Joint!: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. Ed. Murray Forman and Mark Anthony Neal. New York, NY: Routledge, 2004. 525-540. Print.

    Read More

  • Hip Hop as an Industry

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first article, “About a Salary or Reality? – Rap’s Recurrent Conflict” by Alan Light, explains the evolution of hip hop from the various camps to become what it is today – a mix of the gangster rap it was from the beginning and the rap pop that grew out of it. Rappers felt that no matter how graphic they were they would sell albums, and at the same time prove commitment to their street heritage. Many said this was the whole point of rapping. San Francisco rapper Paris said that “[e]verybody gets into rap just to get the dollars or get the fame” (Light 143). Others believe that money and fame should not and have not been the sole reason. Light explains this when he says:

    Read More

  • Raps Controversy

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    Those in the mainstream have long considered rap music controversial. However its controversy escalated to a whole new level when the world was introduced to “Gangsta Rap,” where violent acts and suggestions are graphically portrayed (yale). The notorious rap group responsible for the introduction of gangsta rap was NWA (bomp). Gangsta rap has been criticized and debated over for its graphic sexual content, and violent imagery (yale). The lyrics in many songs contain violent and explicit lyrics that usually talk about killing someone along with sounds of gunshots in the background. Gangsta rap also talks about drug use and portrays negative attitudes toward women, especially black women. The artists refer to women as, “bitches,” “whores” and sex dispensing “hoes.” On the contrary there is a nice sideffect to controversy; you can use it

    Read More

  • The Exploitation and Objectification of Women in Rap

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women have consistently been perceived as second-class citizens. Even now, in times when a social conscience is present in most individuals, in an era where an atmosphere of gender equality 'supposedly' exists, it is blatantly apparent that the objectification and marginalization of women is still a major social issue. In reality, progression in terms of reducing female exploitation has been stagnant at best. Not only is the degradation of women a major problem that to date has not been eradicated, but it is actually being endorsed by some music celebrities. There are a growing number of people who purchase rap albums that support the fallacy that women are mere objects and should be treated as such. As the popularity of rap continues to climb at unprecedented rates, so too does its influence on the perception of women. In the vast majority of hip-hop songs, the depiction of women as sexual objects, the extreme violence directed towards them and the overall negative influence these lyrics have on the average adolescent's perception of women make rap the absolute epitome of female exploitation.

    Read More

  • Portrayal of Women in Rap and Music Videos

    1724 Words  | 4 Pages

    Misogyny and degradation of women is present in almost every genre of music, yet the one genre that completely revolves around demeaning women is rap. Over the years rap and rap music videos have continually become more sexual and degrading towards women. Rap has been criticized numerous times for this reason, and that is because rap is one of the most popular genres of music for the younger generations. It is more than a genre of music, it is a complete industry filled with clothing and other merchandise. The reason this constant demeaning of women exists is because rap as a genre that rewards the objectification of women. The excuses used to justify the misogyny in rap are incomplete and lack accurate support. The most effective way for this continuous cycle ends, is if the fight and protest comes from the women themselves. Men are the problem in the objectification of women but in order for it to stop, women need to step up and take control of the situation.

    Read More

  • Rap Music Anti Feminist

    1736 Words  | 4 Pages

    However others female hip-hop artist, such as Lil Kim or Rihanna, have decided to provide no resistance towards the deleterious depictions of women in their music and in turn sometimes exploit themselves. Due to her extreme fame, success,

    Read More

  • Gender Inequality In Hip Hop And Hip Hop Culture

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    Similarly to other industries, females are unequally represented within Hip Hop culture across the board. From the start, emcees were traditionally males, proving the struggle for a woman to pursue a career in Hip Hop difficult. In modern society, it seems the culture is obsessed more with how a woman is portrayed rather than if she is a talented artist. For advertising and recognition, it is almost imperative that a female artist wears tight, skimpy clothes and “give the audience a show” with provocative dancing and lyrics. For women, beauty is basically expected by society. Keyes might refer to most of today’s female artists as “fly girls” (2016). Salt N Pepa and TLC are prime examples of prominent female figures within Hip Hop culture that dressed in a way to attract attention. For these women, the outfits merely grab the attention of the audience so they can then focus on the message behind their lyrics. While women are already underrepresented in the field, they also have to work harder for the same success that male counterparts

    Read More

More about Lil Kim's Use Of Misogyny In Gangster Rap Music

Open Document